Re: LV Trip 12/5: Stepping up to 10-20

Date: 9 Dec 1997
From: Jim Geary
Newsgroups: rec.gambling.poker
Subject: Re: LV Trip 12/5: Stepping up to 10-20

On 9 Dec 1997, JBK wrote:

IMHO, if you have been making money,
at lower limits avoid 10/20 HE, unless
you intend to become a 10/20 "specialist".
It is possible you were making more money,
than you ever will at 10/20.

Regards,
JBK

> GWattman  wrote in article .
> (Largely Snipped)
>
>
> 3-6.  I was getting bored with 3-6 and I hate to tempt the poker gods,
> but it
> was getting a little easy to beat.  Still a win beats a loss any day.

So I wrote:

Huh? Why shouldn't one strive to become a "specialist" at higher limits? If you're good enough to beat low limits, you should definitely step up as the bankroll allows. Even if you get beaten back down, rebuild the bankroll and try again. If a person is a winning player, it certainly behooves them to get experience at higher levels, and find out if they have what it takes to beat certain limits. (Hint: It doesn't take a 150 IQ to beat 10/20.) I'm not a LV local, but I was there last weekend, and I can guarantee that there wasn't a "tough" game below the rail at the Mirage. Who wants to play 3-6 their whole life?

Which elicited the response:

On 9 Dec 1997, JBK wrote:

>
>
> Jim Geary  wrote in article
> Pine.BSI.3.96.971209091950.18451B-100000@usr04.primenet.com ...
> (Mostly Snipped)
> Who wants to play 3-6 their whole life?
>
>
> Players who are EARNING MONEY, and
> are not on ego trips.
>
> Regards,
> JBK

Date: 9 Dec 1997
From: Jim Geary
Newsgroups: rec.gambling.poker
Subject: Re: LV Trip 12/5: Stepping up to 10-20

Your letter brings up a couple of points that I'd like to address.

1) You may be implying that I'm talking out my ass and that the only reason I don't play 3-6 is for the ego trip. I don't have a problem with that. As we've never met, you have no idea what kind of player I am, so my feelings (if I had any) aren't hurt. I assure you that the only reason I play poker is to make money and I do so. Precisely because I don't need validation from everyone, this rolls right off. I merely state so once so as to hopefully add some credibility to the statments I will make in (2). If you still doubt me, please peruse some of my rgp/2+2 posts archived on my web site noted below. These will hopefully show that I do put some thought into my writing.

2) More importantly, however, I am inferring (and please correct me if this is wrong) that if a player is more interested in "EARNING MONEY" then an ego trip, he should stick to 3-6. This is bad information. There are thousands of players in America earning money at limits of 10-20 and higher. Do there pros/semipros constitute a barrier to entry? Somewhat. However, there are tens of thousands of players losing money at these levels. Poker has been in such a boom phase for the last ten years that the population has yet to generate enough pros to "staff" the games to the degree of toughness they were preboom. The bottom line: Games are great all over. With regards to the specific games in question, as a first-hand witness, I can say that last weekend the medium-limit games at the Mirage were not super tough. Three years ago, the 20-40 game at the Mirage was one of the toughest games in the world. Now, there is just so much money in poker, that the very strong players are successfully chasing the nickel at higher limits. And the 10-20? A successful low-limit player certainly isn't out of line "stepping up."

But even disregarding pokerflation, a player who has been beating 3-6 consistently should definitely find out how good they are / improve. This will only happen if he pushes his comfort level. Every player beating big games was once beating small games. Perhaps said player is one of those destined to be beating the big games. Admittedly, it's not destiny; it's work, thought and experience. The best way to get that experience is to play at the 10-20 level and practice poker thinking in a new way. If he gets beat back down, not to worry, reassemble the bankroll and try again. He may not be "EARNING MONEY" like he was in the 3-6 games, but ultimately a good student of the game will be EARNING CONSIDERABLY MORE MONEY as he learns to defeat successively higher games. And that should be the objective.

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